The invention relates to a system and a method for, in particular graphical, monitoring and/or remote control of stationary and/or mobile apparatuses, in particular of vehicles, construction-industry machines and/or containers, by a signaling apparatus from a control center.
The invention furthermore relates to a signaling apparatus, a visualization, control and/or monitoring system, a computer-legible medium and a program module for such a system.
Such an apparatus is used in particular in vehicles, for example passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, construction-industry machines, agricultural machines etc. Systematic operating data acquisition and monitoring of the vehicles are often desirable in this case.
Such an apparatus is disclosed in GB 2,194,119 A1. The data acquisition apparatus in this case contains input sensors, which record the status or specific safety or security conditions. Furthermore, a signal processing apparatus is provided, which produces a status report which includes the identity and the location of the data acquisition apparatus, as well as the respective operating data. The data acquisition apparatus is connected to a selector or to a radio telephone, which transmits the status report to a remote station.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,221 discloses a method and an apparatus for location of and communication with vehicles. A mobile radio unit, connected to a microprocessor, is installed in each of the vehicles. This mobile radio unit receives position-finding information from stationary transmission units, which it passes on to the microprocessor for visualization on a screen.
The invention is based on the object of ensuring simple, reliable and secure communication between the signaling apparatus and the control center.
The first function block, for measured-value detection, for monitoring and/or for producing an alarm, and the second function block, for storage of application-specific data relating to the mobile apparatus, form two logically separate function blocks, which can be combined with one another if required. The first function block thus carries out all the automatically running tasks relating to the monitoring and checking of, for example, signals supplied via sensors or to be emitted via actuators. It also includes, in particular, an alarm system, measured-value detection, measured-value preprocessing and measured-value storage. The second function block includes, in particular, the appropriate diagnostics and the application-specific programs, parameters and data sets etc. Communication with the control center can be handled via at least two communication channels. The first communication channel is used for communication between the alarm system in the first function block and/or the alarm system in the control center, with the communication server being coupled to the visualization system in the control center. The second communication channel is used by the visualization system, in order to read measured data etc. from the mobile apparatus, without being influenced or blocked by the first channel. Thus, overall, this results in the mobile apparatus having a modular design, which allows an open standard solution, which can be upgraded, for monitoring, diagnosis, transport, logistics, vehicle park and fleet management tasks in a system, and allows the use of a single mobile apparatus. The system in this case comprises one or more mobile apparatuses, with a mobile apparatus being arranged in each vehicle, and being able to communicate with either one or a number of control centers, or else with other appropriately authorized personnel. By virtue of its modularity, the mobile apparatus can be used for individual tasks and for a combination of these tasks. In consequence, the mobile apparatus and the control center, that is to say the entire system, can be used universally and in relatively large quantities, commercially. The integration of the signal/measured-value detection and processing in a mobile apparatus in the form of an on-board computer means that this provides an economic additional use for the customer, allowing integrated early fault detection in vehicles and/or load monitoring and hence also minimizing journeys for servicing/to workshops.
On-line monitoring similar to a measurement device or an oscilloscope and off-line evaluation of defect, fault and/or alarm messages can easily be ensured since the mobile apparatus includes at least one transmitting/receiving apparatus, in particular a radio transmitting/receiving apparatus for temporary connection to at least one control center and/or to a subscriber who is authorized to receive messages.
One function, which is worthwhile in particular in conjunction with fleet management, is achieved by the mobile apparatus having a third function block which has functions for position-finding and/or fleet management, and which has a device to communicate with a user at the same location as the mobile apparatus.
Short-term and/or long-term data acquisition with a large number of evaluation options, for example for servicing recommendations etc., can advantageously be ensured since the mobile apparatus has a data analyzer which, in particular, is integrated in the first function block and is intended for receiving input signals which can be predetermined and are supplied from the data analyzer by sampling data sequences from signal sources, since the mobile apparatus is provided with a date and time stamp for stamping the detected data signals, and since the mobile apparatus is intended for transmitting the sampled data sets to the control center for graphical display within a control and monitoring system.
Reliable initiation of alarm messages can be achieved in that the mobile apparatus has an alarm system which, in particular, is integrated in the first function block and is intended for transmitting alarm messages in accordance with rules which can be predetermined, and for protecting the transmitted messages.
The capability to handle alarm messages such that they can be recorded and are hence comprehensible is further improved in that the alarm system is intended for storing alarm messages in the mobile apparatus, for transmitting the alarm message to a control center which can be predetermined, and for monitoring an acknowledgement of the transmitted alarm messages by the control center.
One cost-saving option for varying parameters in the alarm apparatus, for example when the operating software is updated, can be provided, without any separate labor cost, in that the application-specific data and programs which can be stored in the second function block can be loaded remotely from a control center.
The reliable emission of alarms to a control center or to an authorized person can be further optimized in that the control center and the mobile apparatus have a device to communicate via a third communication channel, with the third communication channel being intended, in particular, for communication between the communication server and in the control center and the third block in the mobile apparatus.
The reliable, secure and unambiguous allocation of messages, even when there are a large number of signaling apparatuses in a large fleet, is ensured in that the mobile signaling apparatus has an associated identifier for identification of the mobile apparatus, in that the mobile signaling apparatus has a device to transmit the identifier to the control center together with a message, and in that the control center has a unit to store and visualize the identifier.
The messages are handled in a user-friendly manner within the control center in that the visualization system and/or the control and monitoring system have/has an alarm window for optical visualization of messages, in particular alarm, warning and defect messages and in that the alarm window has information relating to the identification of the message, in particular the identifier, time and fault description.
The user-friendliness of the system is further optimized in that the visualization system and/or the control and monitoring system in the control center have/has a device to implicitly select a mobile apparatus associated with a message, in such a way that the mobile apparatus which is associated with the selected message is automatically selected for setting up a connection by selecting said message from a message table, in particular by double-clicking or by operating an enter function.
A further option for user-friendly handling of the system is that the visualization system and/or the control and monitoring system in the control center have/has a telephone book window for visualization of each of the mobile signaling apparatuses administered by a control center.
Optimum handling with user friendliness can also be achieved for the telephone book in that the visualization system and/or the control and monitoring system in the control center have/has a device to explicitly select a mobile apparatus in such a manner that a selected mobile apparatus is automatically selected for setting up a connection by selection of said mobile apparatus from the telephone book table, in particular by double-clicking or by operation of an enter function.
Secure and reliable archiving of test results etc. can be achieved cost-effectively, without any costly use of personnel, in that the control center has a device to automatically store the data transmitted from the mobile signaling apparatus to the control center, in order to archive such data.
The location of the apparatuses which are coupled to the signaling apparatus, such as construction-industry machines, fleet vehicles etc. can be found in a simple manner in that the signaling apparatus has a GPS module for finding the position of a mobile apparatus which is coupled to the signaling apparatus, with the signaling apparatus being intended for transmission of the position-finding data to the control center, and in that the signaling apparatus uses the GPS data comprising the date and time to provide high-precision date and time stamp for data recording.